Via will power a new transit deployment in partnership with Northeastern University, a global research university in based in Boston.

The service, called RedEye, is a dynamically-routed transit network that ensures students a safe ride home from the campus library, and marks one of the first times a North American university is integrating ride-hailing technology into its campus shuttle system.

RedEye operates within a two-mile radius of Northeastern University’s Snell Library, allowing students who live off-campus a safe and completely free ride home during nightly study sessions. Managed by the Northeastern University Police Department, students using the RedEye app can request a ride every night from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Riders can download the RedEye app to hail the safety escort van directly from their smartphone. Via’s advanced algorithms will enable multiple riders to seamlessly share the vehicle. The powerful technology will direct passengers to the pickup point at Snell Quadrangle in front of Snell Library, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.

More than 3,300 students used the service for 45,000 rides in the 2018-2019 academic year. Northeastern Police Staff Sgt. John Farrell said he expects those numbers to rise this year now that the campus transitioned to Via’s technology from a previous provider. Students told Northeastern they looked forward to the improved RedEye service with Via, adding many riders would previously bypass the app and ask the driver to take them home, leading to inefficient routing.